An Exception to the Rules 2: The Dragon Rider
by KingCheetahImages
Summary: Sequel to An Exception to the Rules. A month has passed since Flynn asked Cadence to marry him. Cadence's is proving to be quite the maverick and struggles to fit in with the other Skylanders. Flynn rises to the challenge of being the husband of his troubled Skylander wife and proves that Eon did make the right decision to make them an exception to the rules by letting them marry.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Skylander Franchise save for the figures sold in stores. I am borrowing the Skylander characters for the purpose of telling a story.

To further clear up any misconceptions that people might have about my OC, Cadence; the prequel story 'An Exception to the Rules' was a fan inspired fan rewrite of TRikiD's story "The Mabu and the Skylander" which was inspired by the move 'Alpha and Omega'. I had seen "Alpha and Omega" but that was a long time ago. I recently watched it and noticed that my OC's shortened name, Cade, sounds a lot like the female star of 'Alpha and Omega', Kate. This was unintentional, I assure all readers. I did not remember that her name was Kate, nor did I bother to research what her name was. The fact that Cade sounds a lot like Kate was purely accidental.

Drifter

Out of the darkness of the location, walked two pairs of boot covered feet. They made their way down the dark hallway of the ancient structure they were in. Even though it was dark, it wasn't hard to tell that one was a female and the other was a male. The male fumbled around in the dark, while his female companion walked with confidence.

"I can't see a thing," the male remarked. His voice had a nasally tone to it.

"It was your job to get the torches," the female replied. Her voice was full of warmth and sweetness.

The male stumbled and tripped over an unseen object in the dark.

"Ouch…" the male said. "And I'm feeling the pain for it."

"Here," the female said as she grabbed the male by his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks Cali. How can you see in the dark so well?" the male asked.

"I can't," the female, Cali, replied.

"So then how are we going to find these artifacts that we are looking for. Mabu may be related to felines to a degree, but their ability to see in the dark is one thing we Mabu don't have," the male said.

"Hmm, Tanner, you just gave me an idea," Cali said.

The male, Tanner, heard Cali take her pack of her back and begin rummaging through it. Then there was a moment of silence, a strange tapping sound and a pure white light began to glow from a small clear stone in Cali's hand.

"Wow…what is that?" Tanner asked.

With the new light, Tanner's appearance was visible. He was a skinny male Mabu, wearing khaki colored cargo pants and shirt and a wore a pith helmet on his head and he had a green bandana around his neck.

Cali on the other hand wore her typical yellow t-shirt with the brown rounded rectangles on the front, her khaki pants and her red bandana. She also had a necklace around her neck; she set the glowing stone into the slot on the pendent.

"I don't really know. One of the Skylanders gave it to me, should I ever have a need to light up a dark place," Cali said.

With the bright light of the stone illuminating the way, Cali and Tanner pressed on. They were inside an ancient temple. Tanner was a fellow archaeologist that Cali was dating off and on. Most of their dates were spent on short expeditions like this one. The more time the pair spent together, the more Cali's interest in Tanner faded. He just wasn't her type. She had a bigger interest in Flynn, than Tanner and that was saying something. The only reason Cali even bothered going out with Tanner was so she could go on archaeology expeditions. Cali glanced over at tanner as he approached an artifact hanging on a pillar.

"Be very careful, Tanner. This place could be booby-trapped," Cali said.

"Pfft, naw, this place isn't booby-trapped. This place was still in use when the citizens were whipped out by a volcanic eruption. Booby traps may have been prepared, but they were never activated," Tanner said, looking back at Cali.

Cali didn't like the way Tanner spoke to her, but didn't say anything. Tanner resumed studying the artifact on the pillar.

…^…

"Thieves," remarked a rough gravelly voice.

Several figures hide in the shadows of the structure, watched Cali and Tanner.

"They are stealing our treasure," remarked a high pitched gravelly voice, when Tanner stowed an artifact away into his shoulder pack.

"This is great stuff," Cali said.

"We found that stuff first," remarked the rough voice.

"Let's run them out," stated the high pitched voice.

"Not so fast boys. These two are treasure hunters, explorers…archaeologists. Who better to take us to even greater treasures than these two," declared a heavy voice that was lacking roughness.

They watched as Cali searched through many different artifacts, selecting only specific items and leaving the others.

"Someone's being picky," Tanner commented.

"Only the most valuable artifacts are my interest," Cali said.

"She's the one we want, but take them both," ordered the heavy voice.

…^…

Tanner heard the sound of a rock falling behind him and he quickly turned around and scanned his surroundings. His heart began pounding in his chest.

"Uh, Cali…maybe we should get out of here," Tanner said.

Cali looked back at him with surprise and confusion.

"Something wrong?" Cali asked.

Tanner began looking around nervously.

"I think we're being watched," Tanner said.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're the only ones here," Cali said.

Cali turned back to her artifacts and came face to face with a black hairless anthropromorphic hunch backed dog-like creature wearing moldy who grinned a toothy grin at her. Cali stumbled back from the creature.

"Get away from me, you smelly mutt," Tanner yelled.

Cali looked over at Tanner and found him struggling to fight off another one of these hairless dogs. Cali quickly grabbed a thick wooden club from off the ground and rushed at the dog that was attacking her friend.

"Unhand him, you fiend," Cali yelled and thumps the dog with the pole.

The dog howled in pain, clasping his paws over his injured head. Cali grabbed hold of Tanner's arm and the pair rushed for the entrance to the temple. The hairless dogs chased after them, being joined by several more of their kind.

"Can you call the Skylanders?" Tanner asked Cali.

Cali pulled her two-way radio out of her pack.

"I don't know if we can get a signal. The jungle around this place is pretty thick, but I'll try," Cali said.

She turned the radio on. Only half of one bar of signal lit up. Cali sent out the distress call.

…^…

Sprocket, the yellow skinned, red haired, blue outfit and welding goggles wearing tech elf Skylander sat leaning back in her chair at the communications relay at the under construction Skylander Academy. Normally Cali was the one who handled the communications, but with the female Mabu Alliance Officer out on an expedition, Sprocket was put in charge. The air ways were relatively quiet for a Tuesday afternoon, so Sprocket was having a moment to relax. Her moment of relax however was shattered when a garbled call came over the radio.

"Help, …el… Sky…der Aca…my, …. Thi… i… Cali. My … and … being … by a pack of …. …. We're in the … … … … … in extreme distress," was the call.

Sprocket recognized Cali's voice.

"Cali, Cali. This is Sprocket. I didn't get that last call. Repeat yer last call," Sprocket said.

"HELP, they are trying to take us prisoner," Cali called.

"Where are you? Who's trying to take you prisoner?" Sprocket asked.

"We're … the … jungle …. Being chased … a … of …less …." Was the garbled response.

Sprocket began attempting to boost the signal.

"Repeat that again, Cali," Sprocket called.

The last thing that was heard was Cali's panicked scream.

"Cali, Cali," Sprocket called.

Sprocket quickly brought her hand down on the red panic alarm button and a siren sounded in the halls of the academy, startling Mags who fell off a ladder.

…^…

High atop a huge tall tree stood a big white dragon with ridiculously long arms with backward facing human-like hands and even more ridiculously long fingers, to which a thick membrane of webbing was stretched between each finger and from the pinkie finger all the way to the body to make up the dragon's massive and powerful wings. Its stomach and chest musculature were very similar to that of a man. Her head was almost like that of the wolves on earth with a long snout, powerful jaw muscles, the only difference was instead of ears it had a pair of long, thick, tusk like horns that protruded out the top of her head and straight over her back. Her long neck was thick muscled, evidence of a powerful flier and her tail was very long, perfect for balancing on two powerful hind-legs. From half way down and to the tip, its tail was covered in long sharp spines. It was a very impressive dragon.

The dragon had a white saddle on its back, set over the shoulders of its wings. Lounging on the saddle was an anthropromorphic cheetah-like creature with gold and silver fur marked with big bold black spots, brown eye rings surrounding its eyes and wearing a white tunic with black leggings. It was Cadence, the one of a kind Chameleon of the Elements, Wild Card Skylander. She was lying on her back, her legs propped up on the dragon's neck, with her right leg hanging over her left leg, air tapping with her right foot. Her long tail ran alongside her legs, the tip of it slowly twitched back and forth. She had a white cowboy hat on with three feathers: a red, light blue and black one, sewed onto the right side of it over the brim. The feathers had been shed by Sunburn, Whirlwind and Sonic Boom. Her hat was pulled down over her face as she catnapped.

The distinct chatter of a radio scanner sitting on top of one of the saddle bags attached to the saddle was the only sound she could hear. Since Cadence was deemed an extra special Skylander, she never given any missions by the mission deployment officer by order of Master Eon and Buzz. So she had to resort to listening to her scanner for any problems. The top of the tree she and her dragon in was the best place to receive radio waves. Her dragon, by the way, is named Starfire. Cadence had befriended the Light Element Dragon during her training in her mother's native world of Mistland. While Cadence dozed, Starfire kept an eye out for anything unpleasant that might stumble upon them.

"Help, help. Skylander Academy, help. This is Cali. My friend and I are being pursued by a pack of hairless dogs. We're in the Cloudbreak Jungle Basin. We are in extreme distress," came a call over the radio.

Cadence pushed her hat up, looked down at her scanner and listened. Starfire glanced back at her rider with interest. They heard the following dialogue:

"Cali, Cali. This is Sprocket. I didn't get that last call. Repeat yer last call," Sprocket said.

"HELP, they are trying to take us prisoner," Cali called.

"Where are you? Who's trying to take you prisoner?" Sprocket asked.

"We're in the Cloudbreak Jungle Basin. Being chased by a pack of hairless dogs." Was the garbled response.

"Repeat that again, Cali," Sprocket called.

The last thing that was heard was Cali's panicked scream.

"Cali, Cali," Sprocket called.

Cadence looked at her dragon.

"Sounds serious," Starfire commented.

"Hmm. Hairless dogs. Sounds like Cali and her friend, Tanner, may have crossed paths with Diamond Dogs. Stupid mangy mutts," Cadence said as she sat up in the saddle.

She stowed her scanner back in the saddle bag and patted Starfire on the neck gently. Starfire dropped out of the tree and took flight.

"Last I heard, Cali was going out on an expedition to some temple ruins. There's only one that I know of in the Cloudbreak Jungle Basin. We better head south by southwest," Cadence said.

Starfire banked to the right, angling herself towards south by southwest.

"Luckily, we're not too far away. It'll be easy to pick up their scent trail," Starfire commented.

"Diamond Dogs are notorious for their love of all things valuable. They're poachers that hide in the shadows. They are cowards and if there is something that they really want, they'll hunt it to the ground," Cadence said.

"Hmm…call for back up?" Starfire asked, looking back at Cadence by arching her head back.

"No way, we got this," Cadence said.

The pair flew for several more minutes before coming upon the very temple that Cali and Tanner had been in. Starfire slowed down as they passed over it and both of them scanned the entrance for any signs. Cadence spotted something red on the ground.

"Starfire, can you sweep the deck over those boulders," Cadence said.

Sweep the deck was a maneuver in which Starfire flew so low over something that she literally swept it with the gust of wind that followed her. Starfire flipped back around, dove low to the ground, her wings folded in tightly to her body and swept over the land. Cadence brandished a long hook tool. She leaned down over Starfire's shoulder, lowered the hook and used it to snatch up the red object. Cadence lifted the hook and examined the article of cloth at the end. It was Cali's bandana, ripped by claws.

"Starfire, can you track her?" Cadence asked and extended the hook out, hanging the torn bandana out beside Starfire's snout.

The dragon turned it head towards the bandana and took several sniffs of it before sniffing the air around her. She locked her senses onto the smell of Cali and began following it at a quick pace. Starfire tracked the smell to the entrance of a cave. She landed and Cadence slipped down off her back. Like the warrior that she was, Cadence strode into the cave with confidence and purpose.

Cadence's vision was only good for a few feet in before pitch black cave darkness made her completely blind. Conventional wisdom would tell her to use her Light Element ability to light the darkness, but that would give her position away. Instead, Cadence embraced the Dark Element and used it to feel her way through the dark, like a catfish finding its way through a murky lake at night.

"What do you want with us?" Cadence heard Cali's voice.

"You are archaeologists. You will help us in acquiring the most valuable artifacts in all of Skylands," replied an unfamiliar rough gravelly voice.

"Yeah, I'm an archaeologist, but I'm also an Alliance Officer with the Skylanders. Just before your mangy mutt goons captured me, I managed to get a call out to my friends. I don't know what they got, but I assure you, the did get my message and they know I'm in trouble. It's only a matter of time before they come here and rescue us," Cali said with confidence.

"PAH, you think your Skylanders can stop us?" replied the high pitched gravelly voice.

"The Trap Team has been hunting for me for years and have never been able to capture me. I doubt they will be able to now, even with one of their Alliance Officers in trouble," remarked a very bold heavy voice.

Cadence rounded a corner and her "shadow vision" depicted a large room, with three big Diamond Dogs, a dozen small Diamond Dogs and chained up Cali and Tanner.

"The Trap Team may not have been able to find you, but that didn't stop me from finding you," Cadence said out loud.

She switched from the Dark Element to the Light Element and illuminated the cavernous room. The Diamond Dogs whimpered in surprise and fear.

"But then again, I'm not yer average Skylander," Cadence said with a cocky grin.

"Cadence," Cali said with surprise.

"Seize her," shouted the heavy voiced Diamond Dogs.

Cadence charged towards the Diamond Dogs, moving at 'light'ning fast cheetah speed, dodged around the dogs and got herself over by Cali and Tanner.

"Shield yer eyes," Cadence instructed them.

"What for?" Cali asked.

"These dogs live 80% of their lives underground. Bright light is very blinding to them," Cadence answered.

Cali and Tanner covered their eyes. Cadence looked around at the advancing pack of Diamond Dogs and smiled. She scrunched down into a standing fetal position, then quickly stood up straight again, and stretched her arms out, causing a blinding flash of light to illuminate the entire room.

"WAA, IT'S TOO BRIGHT. TURN OFF THE LIGHT!" yelled one dog.

"I CAN'T SEE!" yelled another.

Cadence turned to Cali and using the Earth Element, she cut through the leather bindings on Cali and Tanner's wrists.

"Follow me," Cadence said.

She led Cali and Tanner through the cave and back towards the entrance. It wasn't long before the Diamond Dogs were hot on their trail. Cali looked back at them and yelped with nervousness.

"PLEASE tell me you have back up," Cali said to Cadence.

"Are you kidding me? I'm the only Skylander that even got your entire message," Cadence said.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN PASS IT ON TO THE ACADEMY!" Cali yelled.

"Hey, I'm a Wild Card. I can totally take these guys," Cadence said with a confident smile.

Cali looked back and cried out when she saw that the number of diamond dogs had doubled.

"At least tell me you have a plan," Cali said.

Cadence rolled her eyes, but not in the annoyed sense and more in the 'uh, no, not exactly' sense.

"YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN," Cali yelled.

"I am making this up as I go," Cadence replied.

They reached the entrance to the cave and came to a halt. Cali and Tanner looked around for a faster means of escape, but they couldn't spot any. Cali and Tanner exchanged nervous glances then looked back at Cadence, who was watching the entrance.

"Now what?" Cali and Tanner asked her in unison.

"Hold on," Cadence replied.

Cali let out an irritated huff and stomped up to Cadence.

"I don't care what Eon says about you. You are the WORST Skylander ever. Did you learn nothing from Buzz's training?" Cali said.

"I am the BEST Skylander there is. How many Skylanders do you know that can wield as many elements as I do?" Cadence said to her.

"That's not exactly helping us right now. OH, you're as bad as your fiancé," Cali said with a stamp of her foot.

Cali walked back over to Tanner.

"What now?" Tanner asked her.

"Now, you learn how to fly without wings," Cadence said suddenly as she ran towards the two, grabbed hold of them both and with a blast from the Air Element, she pulled them into a flying leap.

Cali and Tanner both yelled out. Behind them, the Diamond Dogs burst out of the entrance and to their astonishment, watched as a large white dragon swooped under the two Mabu and the cheetah-like Skylander and carry them out of danger.

…^…^…

"WHOA," Cali exclaimed as she looked down at the white scaly beast she was riding on.

She was positioned almost side saddle on the dragon's wing shoulder, with Tanner on the other wing shoulder and Cadence was standing up in the saddle.

"Cali, meet my noble steed, Starfire," Cadence said.

Cali was amazed by the white dragon and all the power it had in its muscles as it propelled itself into the sky with its wings. They climbed up into the cloud over the island and leveled off into a glide. Tanner was just as amazed, but he was speechless, still trying to catch his breath after the harrowing experience of being hurled off a cliff. However, when he did finally recover, it wasn't the dragon he was impressed by, but the Skylander riding it.

"You're a hybrid aren't you?" Tanner asked Cadence.

"Indeed I am," Cadence replied as she settled into the saddle, "I'm a Mabu Cheetah Hybrid, known as a Matah. My bold spots indicate that I am of the King Cheetah variety, so I'm known as a King Matah."

Cadence reached down to a cylindrical apparatus positioned under her leg, unlocked it from its holder and picked it up.

"Forgive me for my earlier comment. Your methods aren't conventional, but you did manage to rescue us," Cali said.

Cadence looked at her, shook her head and shrugged.

"Eh, don't mention it. It comes with the title," Cadence said.

She opened the cylindrical apparatus, it appeared to be a magical scroll that had a map on it.

"Incredible. Is that…The Global Island Positions of Skylands?" Cali asked.

"Acronym G.I.P.S., shows the positions of all the islands in Skylands in real time," Cadence said with a smile.

Cadence was using it to locate Skylander Academy island.

"How did you get it?" Cali asked.

"Master Eon entrusted it to me," Cadence answered.

Cali looked at Cadence with suspicion.

"You mean you stole it," Cali said.

Cadence gave Cali the worst innocent smile ever.

"Starfire, head due east," Cadence said.

"On our way," Starfire said.

…^…^…

"Cali sure does have a habit of getting herself caught," Flynn mused.

He was still waiting for instructions on where to go to search for his missing friend. While he was worried for Cali, he was also occupied with concerns about his fiancé, who had seemed to have gone AWOL. It had been a month since they had escaped from Kaos who had taken them captive with the intent of enslaving Cadence for his own evil deeds. Flynn had wondered if their pending marriage had been the reason for her disappearance. He had tried reaching out to her, but Cadence hadn't made a single peep. Flynn was so distracted by his thoughts about Cadence, he wasn't even aware that Hugo was talking to him.

"FLYNN!" Hugo shouted to get the Mabu Pilot's attention.

"Huh?" Flynn said with a shake of his head and looked down at the small Mole, "Oh, sorry Hugo. I was just thinking about Cadence. I'm getting worried. I haven't heard from her for a while now," Flynn said with a blank expression.

"Cadence is fine. She's off being a vigilante Skylander. Every now and then we get reports of a King Matah helping out people here and there. Right now we need you to focus on the person who is in trouble and that's Cali," Hugo said.

Flynn nodded his understanding.

"Flynn, you are to take Rattle Shake, Echo and Funny Bone out to the Jungles in…" Hugo started.

"Hey, you guys are still looking for Cali, you know who would be the best at tracking her down…me," came a call from a familiar female voice over the radio.

Master Eon shook his head in annoyed amusement.

"No Cadence. If you won't come back to headquarters, then I want you to at least lay low for now. The other Skylanders are more than capable of handling Cali's rescue," Master Eon replied to the call.

…^…

"See what I have to put up with. I'm this special Skylander, but only 1% of the time and usually only for publicity. Pfft, like the Skylanders need publicity. I'm so good at being a Skylander that I've already rescued you guys," Cadence said to her passengers.

They looked down at the Academy from the small island they were perched on nearby.

"Is that why you went AWOL?" Cali asked her.

Cadence nodded to her.

"Come on, Cali. Face it. I wasn't trained to be the face of the Skylanders. I was trained to fight bad guys and rescue citizens. I couldn't stand to be cooped up on Flynn's ship day after day, night after night. I needed to get out and flex my skills," Cadence said.

"Use it or lose it," Tanner mused as he watched the clouds float by.

"Exactly," Cadence said with a nod.

"They didn't even stop and think that I might have already rescued you guys," Cadence said.

Cali felt bad for Cadence. She knew what it was like to know that you could do something, but be restricted from being able to do that something. Most people would look at Cali and think that because she's a Mabu, she's completely helpless. True, she's been captured a number of times, but that didn't mean she was helpless. Cali was not the stereotypical Mabu.

"To be fair, you wouldn't have been able to rescue us so quickly if you hadn't already been in the area," Cali said.

Cadence let out a heavy sigh.

"Come on, Star. Let's get down there," Cadence said.

…^…

"You couldn't order her to come home," Flynn said to Master Eon.

The Portal Master looked at Flynn with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Flynn. Being part Cheetah, Cadence is never one to stay in one place for very long. I expected that she would turn into a drifter, though I hoped that her love for you would have helped fix that," Master Eon said.

Flynn understood what Master Eon was saying. He remembered how Cadence always had to be on the move and could never sit still. His mother thought Cadence was just being hyperactive. Flynn wondered what it was going to take to get Cadence to be less drifty.

"Now, where was I?" Hugo said.

Flynn looked down at the mole and let out a sigh.

"You were about to give me my assignment," Flynn said.

"Oh yes, that's right, now Flynn I'm going to need you…CADENCE!" Hugo said, getting distracted when he saw a large white dragon gliding towards the island with Cadence on its back, along with Cali and Tanner.

"Unbelievable," Master Eon said in an irritated tone.

Starfire glided in for a landing, needing a bit of a runway for it. Hugo, Flynn, Master Eon and the few Skylanders still at the island rushed over to them.

"Cadence, why didn't you just tell me you had Cali with you already," Master Eon asked.

Cadence hopped down from the saddle and barely had a moment to breathe before she was pulled into a crushing embrace by Flynn.

"You won't even give me a chance to help out. I'm the best Skylander there is," Cadence said.

"Wrong. You are the most powerful Skylander there is, but you are not the best Skylander. You still have a long way to go before you earn the title of being the best Skylander," Master Eon said.

Cadence huffed at this response, turned and walked away from them. Flynn looked bewildered at Master Eon before watching Cadence walk towards the sky docks.

"Where are you going?" Master Eon asked.

"Back to my cabin to rest," Cadence replied.

Master Eon let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. If he had been alive, Cadence would have surely driven him so crazy that she might have put him in his grave. Eon looked at Flynn who was now looking in Cadence's direction with concern.

"Talk to her, Flynn," Master Eon said and the Mabu Pilot looked up at him with surprise, "She'll listen to you," Master Eon said.

Flynn nodded and followed after Cadence.


	2. Planning the Wedding

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Skylander Franchise save for the figures sold in stores. I am borrowing the Skylander characters for the purpose of telling a story. 

Important notice: Whilst writing 'An Exception to the Rules', I was on vacation, spending three weeks with my cousin and her family. I was there long enough that their home became my home. Even though, staying with my cousin, I had the distractions of helping out on the farm, hiking, camping and other fun activities, I was still able to write my story and a decent one at that. Since coming returning to my home, I have been battling with depression and with my depression, comes writer's block. It may be a while for inspiration to come to me, but even when the inspiration does come, it may be even more time before I feel like writing and for me to overcome the urge to sleep all day long. Stay tuned for chapters to come.

Planning the Wedding

Cadence pushed the door to her cabin on Flynn's ship open and entered it. She had a cabin on his ship, but she didn't share one with him. Flynn rushed towards the door as it slowly closed behind Cadence and slipped through it.

"Cadence," Flynn said.

Cadence looked back at him, before looking away with a smug expression and began taking her gear off.

"You know he's gotta point," Flynn said.

Cadence dumped her riding armor on the floor and glared at Flynn.

"Oh I get it. He sent you to talk to me," Cadence said with a tone of anger.

"He didn't have to. I'm worried about you," Flynn said.

Cadence looked at Flynn. He walked up to her and put his hand on her back. Cadence didn't respond to him and began picking her things up, only to have Flynn stop her.

"Cadence! Come on, Cadence. Don't shut me out," Flynn said.

Cadence pulled away from him.

"I trained to be a Skylander, but with the way they treat me, I don't feel like one. I feel like an Alliance Officer. It stinks…worse than Stink Bomb," Cadence said, crossing her arms, her back to Flynn and scowling in anger.

"Hey, it's not all that bad is it?" Flynn asked, opening his arms up in a questioning gesture.

"It's worse than that," Cadence said, turning to him, "I am just as good as any Skylander out there, I've completed my training, but they aren't even going to give me a chance, just because Kaos managed to capture me," Cadence added.

"Because you have the ability to command all of the elements, to bend them to your will. It's not just about your protection but everyone's protection, the protection of the world. If you were captured and enslaved by Kaos, there's no telling what horrific things you could do," Flynn said.

Cadence looked at him with a sober expression.

"Seriously, when did you get to become so intelligent?" Cadence asked him quietly in a tired tone, not in the mean sense.

Flynn walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. He held her comfortingly, patting her on the back, even rocking her a little.

"I would think you'd be happy to not be sent away on missions. You can spend more time with me. We do have our wedding to plan. We haven't even picked a date," Flynn said.

Cadence let out a heavy sigh.

"I guess you're right," Cadence said and put her arms around him, "Thanks Flynn."

…^…^…

"Cadence can't really be considered a drifter," Hugo said to the small group.

Starfire walked past Cali, lowering its tail beside her. Cali smiled when she saw her bandana hanging on its tail and took it. She wrapped it around her neck and tied it. Starfire continued on, heading towards Flynn's ship.

"You're right Hugo. Cadence isn't a drifter. More like…a maverick," Cali said.

"A maverick?" Tanner asked.

"Yeah, you know, one who doesn't follow the customs of others like her. She's not like other Skylanders, she's unorthodox in her approach," Cali said.

Buzz thumped the ground with his crutch.

"Ha, unorthodox is just another way of saying she's clever in her approach," Buzz said.

"You didn't see her," Tanner said.

"No, Tanner. He's right. Sure, Cadence didn't have a plan and she did seem to be discombobulated, but she did rescue us," Cali said.

Master Eon looked off in the direction of Flynn's ship.

"Cadence improvised," Cali said.

"Cadence is a cheetah," Buzz mused out loud.

"Don't let Flynn hear you say that about her," Cali said.

Buzz rolled his eye, but he knew Cali wasn't joking. Flynn defended Cadence's hybridism with vengeance.

"Cheetahs are fast, even their minds are fast. They think better on the move and on their feet. Cadence was fast formulating a plan," Hugo explained.

Cali looked at Tanner who only shrugged.

"But, Cadence didn't even really fight back, she just…fled," Tanner said.

"The Skylander that runs away, lives to fight another day. Cadence's main concern was getting you and Cali away from your captors and back home safely. Had she stayed and fought, she might have compromised her main mission. Hmm…perhaps Cadence is greater than I give her credit for," Master Eon mused.

Cali, Hugo, Buzz, and Tanner looked in the direction of Flynn's ship.

"You are aware that Cadence stole the The Global Island Positions of Skylands map," Cali asked.

Master Eon didn't respond right away. Hugo looked up at Master Eon in shock.

"Yes, I am aware. Starfire however is a very strong dragon and intelligent. She won't let the map fall into the wrong hands. Trust me. I've sent my best Skylanders, my elite to try to retrieve it from her. They all failed," Master Eon said.

…^…^…

Flynn looked up when he heard Cadence enter the galley. He looked at her curiously. She walked further into the galley and looked at him. He was standing at the stove, stirring something in a large pot.

"What's for dinner? I'm getting hungry," Cadence asked.

Flynn smiled at her.

"Have a seat. I fixed up soup. Comfort food," Flynn said.

Cadence was surprised by this and took a seat at the table. Flynn never took his eyes off of her, he could tell she was troubled.

"You know you can always talk to me," Flynn said to her.

Cadence didn't reply right away, but she gave him a soft, "I know."

Flynn stopped stirring the pot and walked over to sit beside her. He rubbed her back gently.

"Come on, talk to me," Flynn said.

Cadence leaned against him. He held her comfortingly and rocked her gently.

"I'm just upset about the lack of confidence in my ability to be a great Skylander," Cadence said.

Flynn looked at her and tried thinking of something more to say and said the first thing that came to his mind.

"I think yer a great Skylander," Flynn said.

Cadence looked up at him and he gave her a small smile and a shrug, "If it makes you feel better."

Cadence smiled back at him and snuggled against him, "You always know how to make me feel better."

They embraced each other warmly, holding each other close. When they pulled back, they realized they were no longer the only two beings in the galley. Master Eon's spirit moved so quietly, they didn't hear him come in.

"Cadence, I may have misjudged you unfairly. Buzz said that you scored poorly when it came to conducting missions. True, your training was completed, but Buzz didn't feel you were…mission…material," Master Eon said.

Cadence let out a frustrated growl and stamped her foot, almost stamping on Flynn's. Flynn took a step back from her.

"Of course, my impulsiveness," Cadence said.

"And stubborn," Flynn added.

Cadence looked at him with an unimpressed and annoyed look. Then she smiled.

"Flynn, your soup is boiling over," Cadence said.

Flynn looked startled, looked back at the pot, yelping when he saw it was boiling over and rushed over and tended to his boiling pot.

"But when you went to rescue Cali and her friend Tanner…" Master Eon started.

"Her boyfriend…" Flynn corrected.

Cadence and Eon looked at him with another unimpressed look.

"Just saying, her expeditions are actually dates. Least, that's what she told me," Flynn said with a smile.

"That is beside the point. Cadence, Cali tells me that you did not get caught up in battling the Diamond Dogs…" Master Eon continued.

"WHAT!? DIAMOND DOGS! You went up against those ruffians?" Flynn said.

"Flynn, will you please refrain from commenting on this," Master Eon said, glaring at the Mabu.

"Yes, sir," Flynn said.

Master Eon returned his attention back to Cadence.

"Instead of fighting, you focused your attention on getting Cali and Tanner to safety. Perhaps I should give you a chance to prove that you can handle missions," Master Eon said.

"That was why you wouldn't let me go on missions. Not because of the danger of me getting captured?" Cadence said.

Master Eon looked apologetic.

"It was a necessary evil. Wrong actions, right reasons…sort of thing. Reports on your mock missions, as well as the information I got from Flynn after debriefing him when the two of you got captured, made me fear that you weren't a mission handling Skylander. It was my intention to have you on as security here at the academy, but I'll have you put back on the roster for going on missions," Master Eon said.

Flynn walked over to Cadence with a bowl of steaming hot soup and handed it to her.

"Careful, it's really hot," Flynn said.

"I figured that," Cadence replied taking the bowl from him, "Thank you, Flynn. And thank you, sir," Cadence added.

Hugo entered the galley. Flynn and Cadence nuzzled noses and snuggled against each other.

"Master Eon, we got a call from Gurglefin about a band of miscreants causing trouble in the major fishing spots and in the shipping lanes," Hugo said.

"So about our wedding?" Flynn asked Cadence quietly.

Master Eon thought about it for a moment, then looked over at Cadence.

"Cadence, would you like to take this mission," Master Eon asked.

Flynn and Cadence looked surprised at each other, then up at Master Eon. Flynn looked at Cadence for her response. Cadence thought for a moment, then looked at Flynn. Flynn was worried Cadence would take the mission.

"I'd love to take the mission," Cadence said.

Flynn let out a painful groan. Master Eon smiled and nodded.

"But I have a much more important mission," Cadence said, snuggling up against Flynn who smiled, "planning my wedding."

Flynn smiled even bigger.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You two do have a wedding to plan," Hugo said with realization, "going to take me a while to get used to the idea of a Skylander and a non-Skylander getting married."

"Better get used to it soon, Hugo. Because I'm wanting you to be my best man," Flynn said.

"WHAA?" Hugo said, surprised by this.

"Well, it's either you or Sharpfin and I've known you longer…so you get first chance at it," Flynn said.

Hugo looked like a kid that was offered the biggest bowl of ice cream.

"Wow, Flynn. I'd be honored," Hugo said.

Flynn smiled at the mole.

"Come along, Hugo. Let's leave these two lovebugs alone to plan their wedding," Master Eon said.

Cadence and Flynn waited for them to leave.

"I wish you hadn't done that without consulting with me first," Cadence said.

"Huh," Flynn said, surprised at this.

He looked at Cadence questioningly.

"What's wrong, Cade?" Flynn asked.

Cadence took a deep breath.

"I'm not entirely sure I want a…full blown…wedding," Cadence said.

"WHAT!? But we have to have a full blown wedding. Everyone expects us to…including my mother," Flynn said.

Cadence rolled her eyes when he said everyone expects us to, but looked startled when he mentioned his mother.

"Momma?" Cadence said.

"Yeah," Flynn said.

"She would expect a wedding, she is my foster mother," Cadence said and let out a sigh.

Flynn put his hand on hers.

"What's up with this about not wanting a full blown wedding? I thought all girls dreamt of full blown weddings," Flynn said.

Cadence looked down at the bowl of soup. Her stomach growled loudly. She looked up at Flynn and giggled nervously.

"First food, then we'll talk," Flynn said.

Cadence smiled at him and began eating the soup.

"Mmm, sure tastes good," Cadence said.

Flynn smiled at her.

"You always were a great cook," Cadence said.

"Thanks," Flynn said.

"Flynn, I'm not comfortable with a showy wedding. The wedding isn't important to me…the marriage to you is," Cadence said.

Flynn listened intently.

"Weddings…they require a lot of time consuming planning and organizing and they rarely ever go according to plan. Not to mention money, which I need if I want to purchase magic from Persephone to increase my attack strength and learn new abilities," Cadence said.

Flynn scratched the back of his neck.

"I can see where you are coming from," Flynn said and Cadence smiled. "I support you, Cade, but mom is going to expect a wedding of some sort, even just a small one. Can't we…compromise?" Flynn asked.

Cadence finished off the last of her soup and then took a moment to think it over.

"Maybe just a small one, no reception, just a handful of our friends," Cadence said.

"Agreed," Flynn said with a smile and a nod, "So when do we want to have our wedding?"

Cadence took her bowl over to the pot and dished some more soup up for herself.

"I'd like it to be soon…like…maybe…next week or two?" Cadence said.

Flynn almost choked on his mouth of food. He coughed and sputtered and hit his chest.

"Next week? Or two weeks…Cadence, pressure much. At least give us till next month," Flynn said.

Cadence let out a heavy sigh and Flynn thought it sounded sad even.

"Oh, but now that I think about it, next week is good," Flynn said.

She sat down at the table, a spot away from him. Flynn didn't hesitate to move closer to her, sat down next to her and put an arm around her.

"I'm sorry, Cadence. I'm guessing you want to have it next week because you want to just get it over with, get past the wedding and get to the marriage," Flynn said.

Cadence nodded quietly. Flynn hugged her and nuzzled her, rubbing his temple against hers.

"Before Master Eon changes his mind," Cadence said.

Flynn was surprised by this.

"He would never do that. Cadence, he knows what's best for his Skylanders. He knows you need me. I mean he did send me to talk some sense into you about going on missions. He's not going to change his mind about letting you marry me," Flynn said.

Cadence smiled at him and rubbed his temple with hers.

"And also, if we don't do this next week, we may end up putting it off and never get married," Cadence said.

Flynn nodded, getting her point.

"Alright then, we'll do this next week," Flynn said.

…^…^…

"Why? Why? Why did they have to schedule their wedding so soon?" Cali asked.

She was helping Mags and Hugo hang decorations up.

"It's only a small wedding," Hugo said.

"But still," Cali said, looking at Hugo with a scowl, "They could have given us more time."

Mags rolled her eyes at this.

"Cali, when you plan a party, you put the décor up on that day and take them down that day. Weddings are no different. And Hugo's right, it is a small wedding and we don't have many decorations to put up," Mags said.

Cali looked over her shoulder at Flynn and Cadence as the pair did practice runs of the ceremony.

"Shouldn't we be down there for the practice?" Cali asked Hugo.

"They'll have a practice run with the Best Man and Maid of Honor later when Flynn's mom," Hugo answered.

Cadence had asked Cali to be her Maid of Honor. At that moment, a female Mabu that looked like Cali only a few pounds heavier and with doctor scrubs on walked into the Great Hall.

"There they are, my son and my foster daughter," remarked the Mabu with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh yeah, I forgot, Abigail fostered Cadence," Cali said.

Flynn and Cadence looked back at Abigail and smiled. Flynn went to greet his mother first, then Cadence.

"Ooh, this is so exciting," Abigail said.

"There…all finished with the decorating," Mags said, breaking Hugo and Cali's attention on Abigail for a moment.

"Perfect timing. We can now have a full rehearsal. Mags, would you be so kind as to go and get the honorary Father of the Bride," Master Eon said.

"Sure thing Master Eon," Mags said and walked out.

Cali and Hugo got down from their ladders and walked over to greet Abigail.

"Oh look at you, all grown up and a full-fledged Skylander," Abigail said as she embraced Cadence, "oh you are gorgeous."

"Hey Abigail," Hugo greeted.

"Well, hello there, Hugo. Keeping everyone in line here?" Abigail asked, as she turned to the mole.

"Oh no, Mags does a better job at that than I do," Hugo said.

"And Cali, Flynn tells me that you tend to be the comforting mother type," Abigail said.

Cali nodded. Mags walked in with Buzz.

"Hello Buzz," Abigail said to the Skylander Trainer.

"Abigail?" Buzz said.

Flynn looked at Cadence with a surprised glance, then back at the two elders.

"You two know each other," Flynn said.

Abigail looked at him.

"Yes, we know each other. About seven and a half months before you were born, Buzz limbed into Boom Town. His ship had sustained very bad damage, has did he. I nursed him back to health. He stayed with me for three weeks before he left to rejoin the Trap Masters," Abigail said.

"Wait…seven and a half months before Flynn was born…that would mean," Buzz said as he figured it out.

Flynn was figuring it out just as quickly as Buzz was.

"Is Buzz my…dad?" Flynn said as Buzz said, "Is Flynn my…son?"

"Yes," Abigail said.

"If the meetings and greetings are over, then let us get on with the rehearsal," Master Eon said.

Cadence nodded.

"Cadence and Buzz, you two go outside the main entrance and wait. Flynn stand to my left, Hugo on his left," Master Eon instructed.

Buzz motioned for Cadence to follow him.

"Buzz, are you okay?" Cadence whispered to him.

Buzz let out a sigh.

"I'll be alright, but…it's a lot to take in…knowing I have a son," Buzz said.

He and Cadence went outside the Great Hall doors. Buzz tapped the button on the wall console and listened for the cue.

"Alright and when the march starts to play, Buzz will lead Cadence in. We don't have the march playable right now, so Buzz if you will," Master Eon said.

"Alright, here we go," Buzz said, offering Cadence his left arm.

Cadence hooked her arm with his and he led her through the door.

"Now there will be two Alliance Crew members to open the door at the actual ceremony," Master Eon said.

Flynn smiled at Cadence.

"She looks beautiful now," Flynn said.

"Slow down, Flynn. You want to do this the right way," Cali said.

Buzz led cadence up to them.

"Buzz will turn Cadence over to Flynn," Master Eon said.

Flynn stepped, Buzz stepped back and Flynn took his place.

"You look beautiful today," Flynn said to me.

I smiled at him.

"Hugo stand behind and to the side of Flynn with me in your sights, Cali, the same but behind Cadence," Master Eon said.

Cali and Hugo moved into their respective positions.

"Buzz and Abigail…the two of you will stand together behind and to the side of Hugo, again with me in sight. This is tradition, but has nothing to do with our recent revelation," Master Eon said.

"Understandable," Buzz said.

Abigail nodded in agreement.

"Then we begin with the ceremony. I'll say a few words, then ask the important questions, exchange vows, I will ask the crowd if there is anyone who disproves of the marriage…don't know why, doesn't make any difference…then I'll ask Abigail and Buzz, the witnesses, if the ceremony was conducted correctly, if they say yes, then I will pronounce Flynn and Cadence to be husband and wife and poof, THEY will be married," Master Eon said.

Flynn glanced at Cadence and smiled.

"Now, Flynn, Cadence," Master Eon said.

They looked up at the translucent spirit.

"Have you two rehearsed your vows?" Master Eon asked.

Flynn nodded as Cadence remarked, "Yes we have!"

"Good, then tomorrow is the big day. Get plenty of rest. Cadence will be staying with Cali until after the wedding. Remember, its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," Master Eon said.

Flynn turned to Cadence.

"This time tomorrow," Flynn said as he and Cadence went to leave the Great Hall, "we'll be husband and wife," Flynn said.

"See you tomorrow, Flynn," Cadence said and they went their separate ways.

"Sir, are you sure you are certified to wed Flynn and Cadence? You are a spirit," Hugo asked.

Master Eon looked at Hugo with surprise, but began to wonder this too.


	3. Belonging to You

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Skylander Franchise save for the figures sold in stores. I am borrowing the Skylander characters for the purpose of telling a story. 

Belonging to You

"Make yourself at home, Cadence," Cali said.

Cadence followed Cali into the female Mabu's apartment. It was decorated with Cali's many different archaeology finds.

"Thanks for putting me up for the night," Cadence said.

"Don't mention it," Cali said.

Cali went into a backroom and returned with blankets. She began setting up a bed on the couch.

"You'll sleep in my bed tonight. You'll need good sleep for your special day tomorrow," Cali said.

Cadence went and sat down in an empty chair at the kitchen table.

"To be honest, I'm nervous. Yeah, I've been living on Flynn's ship, but…I'll be living WITH him after tomorrow. And sleeping with him," Cadence said.

Cali thought about this and nodded.

"Yes, I can see how that would be strange. It'll take some getting used to, but you love him and he loves you. You two will be inseparable when you aren't out on missions. Don't be nervous," Cali said.

…^…

Meanwhile, on Flynn's ship, Sharpfin had the bachelor party and it was just starting to settle down.

"You know, never did congratulate you on getting the girl. I mean, getting permission to marry a Skylander and to Cadence. Good job, mate," Sharpfin said.

Flynn had a big smile on his face and nodded. Sharpfin, Spyro, Snap Shot and Wash Buckler all sat around the Game Room on his ship. The only one invited to the party that wasn't there was Hugo.

"Hey, where's Hugo?" Spyro asked.

At that moment, the small spectacled mole came running into the room, panting.

"We've got bad news. Master Eon is unable to perform the ceremony. As a spirit, he's not certified to marry people," Hugo said.

Flynn big grin vanished.

"We'll have to postpone the wedding," Hugo said.

"Hold up there, no we don't," Sharpfin said.

Everyone looked at the blue land shark. Flynn had a hopeful look on his face.

"We don't?" Flynn said.

"Sharpfin is a Baron," Spyro said.

"Which means, I am authorized to perform weddings," Sharpfin said.

Flynn's smile returned, twice as big.

"Whew, I was worried for a second there," Flynn said.

Hugo plopped himself down.

"Aren't you nervous?" Hugo asked.

Flynn shook his head.

"Nope. I've dreamt of this day, to have Cadence by my side, to become my wife," Flynn said. He let out a sigh, looking off into the distance as he daydreamed.

"I can't wait to get married," Flynn added.

Hugo, Spyro, and Snap Shot nodded.

"You've had your sights set on Cadence for a long time now. For as long as you've known her, you've had a crush on her," Hugo said.

Flynn nodded at him.

"Only a few more hours, Flynn, then you'll be a bachelor no more," Spyro said with a smile.

Flynn looked over at the purple dragon and nodded, then frowned.

"Yeah…few more hours and I'll be attached to someone else. Few more hours and I won't be a bachelor. I've been a bachelor for a long time," Flynn said, suddenly looking crestfallen.

"Hey, don't feel sad. You and Cadence will finally be together," Sharpfin said.

Flynn smiled at this.

…^…^…

"OH MY GOSH. I am so nervous," Cadence said

Cali looked at Abigail, who smiled and shook her head in amusement.

"What did I tell you about nervous experiences?" Abigail asked.

Cadence smiled this time.

"Just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward," Abigail and Cadence said together.

Cadence looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a simple white gown.

"Come on, Cadence. Flynn's waiting," Cali said.

Cali was wearing a shiny light blue dress with a light green bow in the back. Abigail was wearing a similar dress. Cadence followed them out of the dressing room. Abigail picked up a bouquet of white flowers and handed it to Cadence. Buzz walked towards them from Flynn's dressing room. The elder Mabu was dressed in a black tuxedo, his crutch was a shiny silvery crutch.

"All ready, Cadence?" Buzz asked.

Cadence nodded, but he could tell she was nervous.

"Abigail, you head around to the side doors and join our son at the head of the Great Hall," Buzz said.

Buzz led me and Cali around to the double doors where we waited. Buzz looked at Cadence and smiled.

"Nervous?" Buzz asked me.

"You know I am," Cadence said.

"Relax," Buzz said and I looked at him, "Getting married to Flynn isn't going to be the most horrifying thing you'll be doing in your life."

Cadence blew out my breath and she gulped when she heard the music start and the doors opened.

"Here we go, time to bestow you to Flynn," Buzz said, linking Cadence's arm with his.

Cadence saw Flynn waiting for her across the hall and she couldn't help but smile. Buzz walked her down the aisle, Cali following behind her. She could see Flynn inhale deeply and could tell his breath was taken away by her. She was led up to him and he offered his arm to her and she took it. They looked at each other with smiles on their faces, then looked up at Sharpfin.

"My momma always told me that love has no boundaries. That is certainly true today as we bring this Skylander and this non-Skylander together in matrimony. I know, some of you are thinking, 'isn't that against the rules?' Yes, yes it is. However, Cadence is an exception to the rules. She's unique and special and needs someone just as unique and special to love her and take care of her. Flynn is that unique and special someone," Sharpfin said.

Flynn looked at Cadence and smiled.

"Turn towards each other," Sharpfin said.

Flynn took a deep breath, turned to Cadence and took of her paws in both hands.

"Flynn, do you take Cadence to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Sharpfin asked.

Flynn took another deep breath, "I Flynn, do take Cadence to be my lawfully wedded wife. I will have her and hold her, love her and care for her, in sickness and in health, in joy and sadness, in comfort and in fear, for better, for worse, from now until the end of time and beyond, I do," Flynn said.

Cadence smiled at him.

"Cadence, do you take Flynn to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Sharpfin asked.

"I Cadence, do take Flynn to be my lawfully wedded husband. I will have him and hold him, love him and care for him, in sickness and in health, in joy and sadness, in comfort and in fear, for better, for worse, from now until the end of time and beyond, I do," Cadence said.

Sharpfin looked at Master Eon who looked at Buzz and Abigail. The two Mabu nodded their approval and Master Eon nodded to Sharpfin.

"That is acceptable," Sharpfin said.

Flynn pulled her close to him, with his arm around her waist, they turned to Sharpfin.

"Now, is there anyone here who objects to this marriage?" Sharpfin asked.

No one spoke up, so Sharpfin looked to Master Eon who nodded to Sharpfin. Sharpfin looked at both me and Flynn.

"Then by the power vested me through my status as a Baron of Skylands, I now pronounce you to be Mabu and Matah, Non-Skylander and Skylander, bound to each other in legal marriage as husband and wife. May it be spent in endless happiness," Sharpfin said.

Flynn and Cadence both smiled.

"Flynn…you may now kiss your bride," Sharpfin said.

Flynn swung Cadence around, tipping her back slightly and drew her lips to his.

…^…^…

Cadence walked with Flynn back to his airship. Flynn stopped and looked at her.

"You look absolutely radiant today," Flynn said.

Cadence smiled sheepishly at him. She was surprised when he suddenly started to dance with her on his ship.

"We didn't have a reception, but I really wanted to have a dance with you. So, this is where I am going to have my dance," Flynn said.

Cadence's embarrassment faded and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm finally married to the one I love the most," Cadence said quietly.

"I suppose now that you are married to me, you'll be running off to handle missions?" Flynn said, he spun them around.

Cadence lifted her head and looked at him with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Hmm, no, I'd like to take some time to get used to my new married life before running off to do missions," Cadence said.

Flynn and Cadence danced with each other long into the night before stopping and calling it a night. She followed him into his cabin and suddenly a wave of nervous anxiety swept over her. She watched him get ready for bed, not even realizing she was subconsciously getting ready for bed herself. She froze when he got into bed and lifted a corner of the covers to invite her over. Flynn noticed she was nervous.

"Hey, come on. We're married now," Flynn said to her, trying to easy her discomfort with the notion of sleeping with him.

She took a deep breath, recalled her foster mother's counsel of putting one foot in front of the other and walked towards Flynn, crawled into bed next to him, he cuddled her comfortingly and they fell asleep together.

…^…^…

Cadence was dozing peacefully in the warm sunshine. She opened one eye when she heard several fellow Skylanders approaching. They were talking rather loudly and disrupting her sleep. They came around the corner and into view. It was Zap, Punk Shock, Rattle Shake and Jet-Vac.

"Hey Cadence, we're heading out to the Cloudbreaker Geyser Fields. Want to come?" asked Rattle Shake.

The Cloudbreaker Geyser fields was located in the dense jungles near the base of Mt. Cloudbreak. In addition to the Geysers, there were also hot springs and mud pools perfect for relaxing in.

Cadence yawned and stretched like a typical cat.

"How are we going to get there?" Cadence asked, recalling that Flynn was off collecting supplies for Mags.

"Sharpfin's taking us," Rattle Shake said.

Cadence didn't like the sound of this.

"Why isn't he helping to haul in supplies? The sooner we get the academy done, the better," I said.

She sat up and looked at her fellow Skylanders.

"Both Flynn and Cali are hauling in supplies on separate ships. Both of their ships can haul in a lot of cargo. Sharpfin just isn't needed for that. Portal access is still intermittent; we don't have unlimited access to the portals anymore. So he's tasked with taking the Skylanders to their destinations, including our vacation. Master Eon told us to invite you. Are you interested in coming with us?" Jet-Vac answered.

Cadence looked up at a window to Master Eon's chambers and saw the spirit watching them. With Flynn gone most of the time and no missions for her to go on, Cadence would loaf about. The spirit had taken notice of this and was doing something about it.

"Alright, I'll come with you," Cadence said, getting to her feet.

"Alright!" Punk Shock cheered.

"Just let me grab my cloak," Cadence said.

…^…

A massive column of steaming hot water shot into the air from a hole in the ground. Rattle Shake, Jet-Vac, Punk Shock and Zap looked up at the column and grinned.

"Nothing more incredible to see than a geyser," Jet-Vac mused.

The others hummed in agreement and nodded. Cadence however was not impressed by the geyser. Her connection to the water, fire and earth elements enabled her to sense what was going on to create the geyser and cause the water to erupt from the ground. Jet-Vac looked at the hybrid when she rolled her eyes and watched her walk on to the hot springs. He noticed a long bodied serpentine like dragon twisting around a bipedal western style dragon embroidered on the back of the Matah's cloak in the yin-yang style. It was just the lines that formed the dragons; the serpentine dragon was outlined with black, it's body scales were black lined with gold and the belly scales were black lined with silver. The bipedal dragon was outlined with light blue, lined with silver.

"What's with the dragons on your cloak?" Jet-Vac asked.

He and the other Skylanders followed Cadence.

"This cloak was bestowed to me after I completed my training in Mistlands and displays Mistlandian two of the dragons of Mistlandian lore. Dragons are quite revered and honored in Mistlands. In Capital City, there are dragon statues throughout the city and of course, there's the Dragon Citadel at the center," Cadence answered.

Zap let out a gurgling purr and held his head up high in pride.

"The only Skylanders that would be welcome inside Mistlands would be the dragon Skylanders. The Guardians told me that themselves," Cadence said quietly.

They reached the hot springs. Rattle Shake didn't hesitate and slithered right into the hot water, only to bounce right out again with a sharp yelp.

"Too hot?" Cadence asked.

"Yeah, this one is way too hot," Rattle Shake said.

Cadence smiled at him with amusement.

"Of course you knew that before I even got into the water," Rattle Shake said.

Cadence gestured to a pool of water 15 feet away.

"Try that one, it should be a temperature to your liking," Cadence said.

…^…^…

Mags watched as a crate floated across the sky, being hoisted up by a large crane.

"Alright, lower it down," Mags called.

The crate was lowered down and Mags began removing the cables that helped to hoist the crate. Flynn appeared from the ship tied up at the docks and walked over to her.

"That's the last box," Flynn said.

Mags opened the crate and looked the items over.

"Everything looks good," Mags said.

Flynn looked at her with his arms crossed.

"You, like everyone else. Doubting my skills as a pilot. If you don't trust me, why do you ask me to get things for you," Flynn asked.

Mags was shocked by Flynn's comment.

"Ever since you married that Matah, you've been different. You've started speaking up for yourself," Mags said.

"After traveling for three days with her in a handicapped state, being unable to use her powers and relying on me to keep her safe and get her home, I learned a thing or two about myself and about how others see me. Those I deem to be my closest friends are misjudging me and I don't like it. I decided to do something about it. Yes, I have lost ships, but honestly, how many pilots do you know that can fly through an active volcano and get his passengers through it unscathed? Huh? How about navigating the small cramped spaces of the Arkeyan Vault?" Flynn said.

Mags got the point.

"Alright, Flynn. I get it. I'm sorry," Mags said.

Flynn humfed at this.

"Do you really, honestly think that Master Eon would hire an unlicensed, terrible pilot to fly his precious Skylanders all over Skylands on the whims of a letter of recommendations given to him by a Mabuess?" Flynn asked.

Mags crossed her arms at this.

"Your mother is a renowned doctor in Skylands, the 'Best Doctor in all of Skylands' and that's not a self-proclaimed title, unlike your 'Best Pilot in all of Skylands title'. That title was given to her by the thousands of citizens whose lives she has saved. Master Eon knows of her accomplishments and trusts your mother," Mags said.

Flynn didn't like where this was going, but he was still curious.

"What's your point?" Flynn asked.

"Your mother raised you alone. You never had a father of any kind in your life. You pursue attention from the females you've worked with, including female Skylanders and I don't just mean Cadence. You do things to get their attention, to get them to take care of you and dote on you. All of this can mean only one thing," Mags said.

"Alright, pray tell, what does that all mean?" Flynn asked.

"Yer a momma's boy. Your mother fawned all over you, babied you your whole life; you are her precious little boy. Which is why you crave female attention so much. Reminds you of how your mother treats you. Am I right about all of this," Mags said.

Flynn rolled his eyes, but Mags could tell she was right.

"You needed a job, but no one would ever give you a thought to hire you to do something for them. So your mom used her influence with Master Eon to get you a job. He trusted her and would never doubt her words, so he gave you the job without a second thought. However, I wonder if he has ever regretted that decision," Mags said.

Flynn looked very sore about this.

"Actually, the letter I received from Abigail warned me about his poor flying skills," said a calm voice.

Mags turned and was surprised to see Master Eon standing a few feet away.

"Abigail's letter was not so much one of recommendation, but one of request. Abigail knew Flynn's father was a pilot for the Skylanders. She informed me of that, but forbid me to reveal that to Flynn unless he or Buzz figured it out on their own. Abigail asked me to hire Flynn, so that Flynn would have a chance to learn his father's work and maybe even have the chance to not only work with Flynn, but teach him a thing or two," Master Eon said.

"But why hire him if you knew he was a dangerous pilot?" Mags asked.

Flynn shot a dirty look at her.

"Because, the Skylanders already put themselves in danger for a living. Danger is just an occupational hazard for them, it's their lifestyle. Flynn's flying style would just be extra training for them, help them keep their edge and their reflexes. When Flynn's not flying for fun, he is actually one of the best pilots we've had…better even than his father. Most of his accidents happen when he's joy flying," Master Eon said.

Mags began trying to think of an example of Flynn crashing otherwise.

"He crashed his ship after flying through Mount Cloudbreak. That wasn't joy flying, he was transporting Skylanders then," Mags said.

"Hardly his fault that time. Tessa convinced him that it would be safe to fly through the volcano, said that she knew the way, but never once did she give him directions," Master Eon said.

"What pilot in his right mind would agree to fly through an active volcano?" Mags pointed out.

"I didn't want to fly through the volcano," Flynn said plainly.

Mags looked at him unconvinced.

"That was not was I was expecting when I asked Tessa which way to go. I was very reluctant to take my ship through the volcano, but she insisted that it would be alright, insisted that she knew the way, insisted that it was fastest and that we would lose the Greebles that were after us," Flynn said.

Mags was still not convinced.

"Tessa relayed the same story to me. In fact, Tessa specifically requested that Sharpfin repair and upgrade Flynn's damaged vessel, stating that she felt responsible for the accident and felt she owed him," Master Eon said.

Mags thought it over for a moment, before giving up.

"Alright, you both win. I'm sorry, Flynn," Mags said.

Flynn nodded his approval.

"Apology accepted," Flynn said.

He turned and looked around at the place. A look of confusion and curiosity came upon him.

"Something wrong?" Master Eon asked.

"Cadence usually greets me. Is she away on a mission or something?" Flynn asked.

Master Eon nodded his understanding.

"Or something. She's gone with Zap, Rattle Shake, Punk Shock and Jet-Vac to go and relax at the Cloudbreak Geyser Fields," Master Eon said.

"Without me? That's not fair," Flynn whined.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon, Flynn and Cadence was starting to get flabby. I felt that she could do with the hike up to the hot springs and knowing her, she cannot be sent to a place so remote and dense without exploring it. Plus, the activity in the area would do to flex her elemental connections. I asked Jet-Vac to invite her to save my Wild Card from going bored and stir crazy," Master Eon said.

Flynn let out a sigh.

"Maybe next time, you should let her accompany me on supply runs," Flynn said.

"You know why I wouldn't let her…although the reason I keep her here is pointless if she gets bored," Master Eon said.

"No, actually I don't know why you keep her here; I assumed that it was out of habit…forgetting that I am married to her now," Flynn said.

Master Eon was mildly surprised by this but he gave a nod.

"No, Flynn…I did not keep her here to keep her away from you. The Specialized Training Academy had state of the art defenses, but they are all offline right now as we expand and upgrade the site into the Skylander Academy. With the defenses down…including the proximity sensors…I wanted to have my Wild Card here as replacement security. She can sense any vessel approaching via the Tech Element. I assure you, Flynn, I did not forget your marriage to her," Master Eon said.


End file.
